'Top Chef' Season 9 Goes Bigger in Texas With New Judges Emeril Lagasse and Hugh Acheson

Bravo's hit culinary competition is going west next season and it's embracing the state's reputation for making everything bigger.

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Emeril Lagasse, left, and Hugh Acheson

Bravo is taking its Emmy-winning culinary competition west as it announces Tuesday that Top Chef will be shooting in Texas for Season 9. Two new judges will join the series in the "Lone Star State": Emeril Lagasse and Hugh Acheson.

Shooting in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, the series is apparently embracing the state’s reputation for making everything bigger. The judging panel adds Lagasse and Acheson to the Top Chef table alongside host Padma Lakshmi, head judge, chef Tom Colicchio, and food writer, Gail Simmons.

A celebrity chef and restaurateur, Lagasse is best known for his Food Network shows, Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril. He specializes in Cajun, Portuguese, Creole, and French cooking.

Acheson competed in the third season of Top Chef Masters. He is the chef/partner of Five & Ten, The National, Gosford Wine, and Empire State South restaurants. He combines the food of the southern U.S. with the flavors of Europe.

Season 9 premieres in the fall. The series is produced by Magical Elves for Bravo with executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz.